It’s
that time again! As a complement to our sale of the D. Brent Pogue Collection
Part IV Auction held by us and Sotheby’s at Sotheby’s New York City
headquarters on May 24, we present The Rarities Auction the next day, May 25.
You are cordially invited to attend as a bidder, buyer, or interested observer,
and be a witness to numismatic history as it is being made. Beyond that, you’ll
enjoy visiting Sotheby’s — there is always art and other interesting items on display
for upcoming events. And, you’ll enjoy visiting with the Stack’s Bowers
Galleries team and sharing their enthusiasm.
Our Rarities Auction
comprises just 150 lots — but how interesting and important they are. Quarter
eagles, one of America’s favorite series, include Proofs from the 19th century
to the last year of issue, 1915, each one rare and desirable. The 1915 Sand
Blast Proof in particular is a coin that is seldom seen, and when it is the
quality usually falls short of the superb coin we offer.
Other gold highlights
include lustrous 1810 and 1929 half eagles in high grades, the latter being the
rarest variety in the Indian Head series. A beautiful 1907 Indian Head eagle by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the rare variety with periods after the legend on the
reverse, is bound to attract a lot of attention, closely followed by an Ultra
Gem Proof 1911 of the same denomination, not to overlook a seldom-seen
circulation strike 1873 in high grade. Double eagles, probably the most popular
of all gold denominations, showcase a Mint State 1881, a rare 1920-S, and,
toward the end of the series, a rare 1931-D.
Perhaps the most
important offering ever made of gold coins regulated by Ephraim Brasher awaits
you. These were virtually unknown to earlier generations of numismatists, but
in the present era have been studied carefully and their rarity is appreciated.
Brasher, a New York City goldsmith, lived not far from President George
Washington in the 1780s when that city was the capital of the United States.
His gold doubloons and unique (in the National Numismatic Collection) half
doubloon have been well known for a long time. Much information about these
fascinating items can be found in the introduction to that section, before lot
3.
Although our catalog
speaks for itself, I’ll mention the splendid 1776 Continental dollar with the
CURENCY spelling, one of the highest-grade 1916 Standing Liberty quarters in
existence, a Gem 1865 Liberty Seated dollar (much rarer than a Proof of this
year), and a splendid 1806 quarter. I hope you will enjoy reading our
descriptions and, hopefully, find some of the coins to be ideal for your
collection.
I invite you to come to
New York City early, enjoy the sights and pleasures of that metropolis—the art
and financial center of the world—and to participate in our D. Brent Pogue
Collection Part IV on Tuesday and the present Rarities Auction on
Wednesday. Visit our gallery at 123 West
57th Street and say hello to our staff there. Stack’s entered business in New
York City in 1933, and we’ve been in our present location since 1953.
I look forward to the
possibility of seeing you at the Pogue IV and Rarities events. If you are not
attending in person, you can bid by telephone (by advance arrangement) or have
a virtual reality “you are there” experience on the Stack’s Bowers Galleries
website and iPhone/iPad app — with our auctioneer in view in real time. In that
way if you live in Hong Kong, Dubai, Tokyo, Zurich, or Buenos Aires you can
still “be there.” Who would have
imagined that a generation ago!
On behalf of the entire
staff of Stack’s Bowers Galleries, I thank you for your interest and possible
participation in this absolutely unique event.
All good wishes,
Q. David Bowers
Co-Founder, Stack’s
Bowers Galleries
